Windmill



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N. JOHNSON. WINDMILL.

No. 547,437. Patented Oct. 8, 1895.

W1 TNESSES: wvmmn:

ANDREW B.GRAHAM. PHOTO-UTHQWASNIN 6m". Dx.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

N. JOHNSON.

WINDMILL.

No. 547,437. Patented 0013.8,1895.v

INVENTOR:

IlllllIHf WQITSSES' L42 j a? (XMW s GHANA" muTo-umo wAsNmGIOMDC lINiTEnSTATES PATENT OEETCE.

NELS JOHNSON, OF SOUTH SHORE, SOUTH DAKOTA.

WINDIVIILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,437, dated October8, 1895. Applicati n filed October 12, 1894. Serial No. 525,735. (Nomodel.)

To. all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, New JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at South Shore, in the county of Oodington and State of SouthDakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Windmills;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in windmills of the class in whichan upright shaft is provided with arms and sails secured thereto andrevolving in a horizontal plane.

The main object of my invention is to provide a windmill of a veryinexpensive and still effective and durable construction.

With this andother objects in view my invention consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which-- Figure l is a plan or top end view of my completemill or motor. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine, with one ofthe uprights of the tower removed and with the wind-Wheel in sectionabout as on the line a a in Fig. 1, except that the two wings shown inFig. 2 are viewed in the direction of the wind. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of one of the wings or sails unhinged from the machine, but withthe hinge-pin in it. Fig. 4 is a sectional end view on the line b binFig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional top or plan View of a portion ofthe wind-wheel, as on the line c in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an enlargedsectional plan view of another portion ofthe wind-wheel, as on the line(1 d in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings by referencenumerals, the machinery proper ismounted in a suitable frame or tower consisting of the four uprights 1and the cross-timbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, of which the timbers 2and 3 are secured together at their crossing in the center of the tower,as are'also the timbers 5 and 6 and the top timbers 7 and 8.

In Fig. 2,9 are the tenoned ends from which the upright is removed.Substantially in the center of the tower the cross-timbers are providedwith the journal-boxes 10, 11, 12, and 13, in which is journaled theupright shaft 14, which is secured against upward motion. by theset-screwed collar and against downward motion by having. its bottom endresting upon a series of friction-disks l6, placed in the journal-box13, which for that purpose is provided with a pocket-like extension 17,having a bottom 18, through which is screwthreaded the adj ustment-screw19, having the jam-nut 20, and by which the wear of the bottom end ofthe shaft and the disks 16 may be taken up.

In order to prevent wearing andheating or cutting of the disks 16, theyare made of very hard steel and are of a considerably large number, sothat whenone of them gets heated enough by the friction to make it turnwith the shaft it will turn on the next disk, and when that gets hot itturns the third one, and so on till the bottom disk may be reached, andby thattime or sooner the upper disks are cooled off'and will workagain. This process of frictional operation may start from the lowestdisk, resting on the screw 20 and work upward.

21 and 22 are pulleys secured upon the main shaft lat for the purpose oftransmitting power .by belts to other machinery when the shaft isrevolved by the wind-wheel, which will now be described.

Secured upon the upper portion of the shaft 14 are the two spiders 24,which are provided with sockets, as 25, in which are secured by thebolts 26 the inner ends of the radial arms 27, to the outer ends 28 ofwhich are pivot ally secured the wings 29, which are preferably made ofsheet metal and of the shape clearly shown in Figs.3 and 4-namely, withthehinge-shaped front edge 30--for receiving the hinge pin or wire 31,which passes through holes 32 in the ends 28 of the arms after thelatter are inserted in the notches-33 in'the' wings.

34 are horizontally-bentend portionsof the wings, of which the edges 35are cut segmentally, so as to fit the outersurface of the sheetmetalliccylinder or drum 36, which is secured upon the circular ribs 37, cast inone piece with the thin arms or spokes 38, and the rest of the spiders24. This metallic cylinder may also be fastened to the radial arms 27,pro- ICO jecting through its sides by angular brackets, like 39, (shownin Fig. 2,) and the arms 38 and flange or rib 37 dispensed with.

40 is a cover on the top of the cylinder 36 for keeping snow and rainout of the interior mechanism, which will now be described.

About half way up in the cylinder I provide in its walls a circular rowof holes 41, corresponding in number to the number of the wings of thewheel. Through these holes are slidingly inserted the arms 42, of whichthe outer ends are bent into angular hooks 43, so as to lay closeagainst the outer surface of the cylinder, and each wing is providedwith a notch, as 44, (see Fig. 3,) fitting over the said hooks 43, so asto allow the free edge 35 to fold close against the cylinder. The innerends of the'arms or push-bars 42 are pivotally secured at 46 in notches47 in the outer edge of a spider or runner 43, which is journaled uponthe main shaft 14, and by means of the arms 49, extending down betweenthe sockets 25 of the lower spider 24, is secured to the flange 50 of asliding-collar 5l,provided with an annular groove 52, in which a fork 53takes hold for moving the collar up and down on the shaft 14. The shankof the fork 53 is extended as a lever 54 over to the framework of thetower, where its end is pivotally secured at 55. From the forked lever54 is pivotally suspended the rod 56, of which the lower end is pivotedat 57 to the end of a hand-lever 71, fulcrumed to the framework at 58and having its free end or handle 59 provided with a spring-heldthumblatch 60, of which the front end or nose 61 is adapted to engagealternately the notches 62 and 63 of a segmental-shaped bracket 64,secured at 65 to the framework of the tower.

75 are rubber cushions secured upon the sides of the arms 27 for thepurpose of reducing the jarring and noise of the wings when they arethrown into their active position resting against said cushions.

In operation, if the wind blows, for instance, in the direction of thearrows 66, 67, 68, 69, and 70, (as shown in Fig. 1,) the wind 66 hashardly any effect on the sails coming edgewise up against it, while thewind 67 folds each sail against the cylinder 36, which, together withthe main surface of the sail or wing and its angular end portions 34,form a pocket or cavity in which the wind has great effect, as at 68 and69, and thus turns the wheel and shaft. The wings thus folded may retaintheir position until the wind at the arrow 70 touches the opposite sideof the wings and throws them open and edgewise to the wind.

Then it is desired to stop the mill, the lever 71 is swung downward, sothat the latch 60 engages the lower notch 63. This motion causes theforked lever 54to move the runner 51 49 43 upward until the arms 42assume a substantially horizontal position, and with their outer endsprevent the wings from closing into an active position, as shown indotted lines to the right of Fig. 2, and in Fig. 6, where 42 representsthe retracted or lowered arm with the sail folded and 42 represents thehorizontal position of the arm, as when it holds the wing in an inactiveposition.

It will be observed that this windmill or wind-motor has no vane toguide it. The wind may blow upon it from any direction, and when thewings are held out, as by the arm 42*, only those few of the wings thatmove nearest to the wind will assume that position and thus balance oneanother and prevent the wheel from turning. The rest of the wings arefree to swing, so as to turn their hinged edge toward the wind, and donot swing in far enough to touch the hooks 43 of the arms 42.

In order to start the mill, the hand-lever 71 is moved to the uppernotch 62, whereby the runner 58 29 50 is lowered, the arms 42 retractedinto the drum 36, and the wings are at once by the wind folded into anactive position, as already above described. The notches 76 in thebracket 64 serve to hold the lever 71, the runner, and the arms 42 in apartially raised position, thereby allowing the Wings to close onlypartly, thus allowing the wind to escape more or less between the wingsand the cylinder. In this way the speed and power of the mill may beregulated by the hand-lever 71 by which the mill is stopped and started.It will also be observed that the pocket or cavity formed by the mainwing 29, its angular end pieces 34, and the surface of the drum orcylinder 36, affords an extraordinary good hold for the wind to actagainst, as the air striking the wing has no chance to spread, and mywind-wheel is therefore a very powerful one in proportion-to its size.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wind mill or wind motor and mounted in a suitable tower, thecombination of the upright revoluble shaft 14, the spiders 24, securedupon the upper portion of the shaft, a drum or cylinder as 36,concentrically encircling the spiders, the spokes or radial arms 27,secured to said spiders and extending out through the sides of thecylinder, the sails 29, being hinged or pivotally secured to the outerends of said spokes, and being adapted to fold with their free edge 45,inward against the face of the cylindetythe cushions 75, and means forsetting the sails in a more or less active as well as in an inactiveposition, and means for transmitting the power from the main shaft toother machinery, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a wind mill or wind motor and mounted in a suitable frame work ortower, the combination of a revoluble shaft, spiders secured thereon, asheet metallic cylinder secured around the spiders, spokes or radialarms secured to the spiders, and extending beyond the cylinder, thesails 29 hinged to the outer ends of the spokes, and having thewindguards 34, with the curved edges 35, which, together with the freeedge 45, are adapted to ICO IIO

fit against the outer face of the cylinder, and thus form a cavity forthe wind to blow into, and means for throwing said sails into more orless active positions, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a wind mill or wind motor and mounted in a suitable frame ortower, the combination of the revolnble shaft 14, the spiders 24, thesheet metallic cylinder 36, having the holes 41, spokes or radial arms27, secured to said spiders, the hinged sails 29, having the wind guards34, the notch 44, and the free edge 35, 45, adapted to fold and fitagainst the outer side of the cylinder, with the runner consisting ofthe annularly grooved collar 51, the arms or rods 49, the sliding spider48, and the pivoted arms 42, extending and sliding through the holes 41,in the cylinder and being adapted to hold the Wings more or less awayfrom the cylinder, according to the amount of the force of the wind itis desired to utilize, and to be retracted into the cylinder when thewings are to work, said arms 42,having their outer ends, 43, bent intoan angular shape adapted to take hold of the edge 45, of the wing inpushing against it and to be straddled by the notch 44, in the Wing whenthe runner is lowered, and the arms 42, retracted, the forked lever 54,rod 56, lever 71,1ateh 60, 61, and notched segmental bracket 64, forstopping, starting and regulating the mill, substantially as shown anddescribed.

In testimony whereof I attix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

NELS JOHNSON. Witnesses:

AUGUST A. HALLBERG, JOHN J. FAUSET.

